A grungy but colorful Alien Bazaar — an artificial island floating on an ocean world — is the major setting of "Rajiin," the fourth episode of Season 3 which puts a beautiful alien woman in the middle of the conflict between the NX-01 and the Xindi and brings the two enemies closer to a showdown.

Nikita Ager plays the title character (pronounced "rah-ZHEEN"), a slave being traded at the Alien Bazaar who finds refuge with Captain Archer and his crew, but who harbors some very dangerous secrets. The ravishing blonde has played a number of parts in various television shows and movies, including the starring role in an upcoming TV movie called "Mermaids" where she plays one of the mythical creatures. Appropriately enough, the character of Rajiin was described by Dominic Keating, at the recent Creation convention in Las Vegas, as a "siren." In talking about the actress, he exclaimed, "This girl is HOT! Oh my word. I forgot my lines a couple of times."

The script for "Rajiin" was written by Brent V. Friedman, a new member of the Enterprise staff with the title of Consulting Producer. Friedman was also involved in "Mermaids" with a story credit, according to IMDB.com. He has also written and produced shows such as The Twilight Zone, Dark Skies and several genre movies.

This episode brings back the nefarious "Xindi Council" introduced in the opening segment of the season, "The Xindi," for several scenes, with the same actors in the same makeup: Scott MacDonald (Xindi-Reptilian), Randy Oglesby and Tucker Smallwood (Xindi-Humanoids) and Rick Worthy (Xindi-Sloth). Like before, the Xindi-Insectoids and Xindi-Aquatics will be digitally created.

However, we'll be seeing a lot more of the Xindi-Reptilians this time. About half a dozen stuntmen donned the elaborate prosthetics for several action sequences that put them in direct conflict with the human characters. A similar number of other stuntmen put on MACO uniforms for those scenes. In addition, a couple of stuntwomen were used in a tussle between Rajiin and T'Pol.

The highlight of this production, however, was the Alien Bazaar, built to resemble a seedy waterfront lined with shops and kiosks, where ragtag crowds of aliens haggle over goods ranging from exotic foods to bizarre weaponry and spare parts. The "wares" being traded include a line-up of concubines and other exotic enslaved females, which is where Rajiin comes into the picture. The set — which included side alleys and other sections — was built to look like a floating city assembled from a hodge-podge of barges, platforms and vessels. In post-production, the visual effects team will create the broader scope of this setting, establishing it as an artificial island on an ocean world.

The Bazaar set was filled with dozens of extras with varying degrees of makeup ("Full Aliens," "Medium Aliens" and "Light Aliens"), depending on their positions in front of the camera. The sound department, in post-production, will contribute to the chaotic setting with a variety of sound effects such as weird animal noises and an otherworldly crowd ambience.

Captain Archer's crew visits the floating city to seek out B'Rat Ud, a chemist living there who can help them synthesize a substance that will protect Enterprise from some of the ravages of the Delphic Expanse. B'Rat Ud is played by Dell Yount, who was previously seen in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Sons of Mogh" as "Tilikia." His character resides in a "Chemist's Shop," which was yet another set piece.

Among the ship sets, the Brig was brought out again, along with a Vertical Access Tube. A temporary "Chem Lab" was also constructed, where Trip Tucker and T'Pol attempt to synthesize the substance they need. The standing sets used included several Corridors, Crew Quarters, Sickbay, Engineering, the Captain's Mess, and of course, the Bridge. Principal photography was scheduled for seven days, which concluded last Thursday, but the episode was so ambitious it immediately went into second-unit shooting on Friday even while the next episode commenced production. Another half-day of second unit took place this week, and as is always the case, there will likely be more as the visual effects or editorial teams require.

"Rajiin" is directed by Mike Vejar. Vejar has directed numerous episodes of Star Trek: Voyager and DS9 (and one of Star Trek: The Next Generation). His five previous Enterprise credits are "Unexpected," "Civilization," "Shadows of P'Jem," "Marauders" and "The Catwalk."

The episode is tentatively scheduled to air Wednesday, October 1, on UPN.

More information about "Rajiin" will be published soon in the Enterprise Episodes section.

Please note: All production and story information is subject to change.